Today is cast from Yesterday's Shadow
by cmguysgirl
Summary: The real scoop on how Penelope Garcia became a part of the BAU. Garcia is mentioned in this story but she is not in it. This story is a look into the past of Strauss and Rossi. What does this have to do with Penelope? Read and find out. It is as complete as it is going to get but marked in-progress as I believe you never say never. If the characters want to say more one day...


**Today is cast from Yesterday's Shadow**

Disclaimer: CM is not mine. I don't own it and I make no money from this story. All I get out of it is to hopefully improve my writing skills and hopefully bring joy to the readers. I also hope that Rossi/Strauss shippers like this story and that some of the prompts on my forum, You Give Me Fever ( forum/You-Give-Me-Fever/120042/) will inspire others who Ship Rossi/Strauss to write more fics. The writers of the show seem to have almost forgotten they exist so we must continue to keep hope alive in Fan Fic.

Word from the Writer: This is just a vision of what might have caused the Animosity we see in the relationship between David Rossi and Erin Strauss and yet explain why they are still hooked on each other. Since Rossi came out of retirement they have slowly been rebuilding the relationship, they lost. Sometimes they just look at each other and it is too much and they just have to look away. Despite what they say during work hours, their hearts remember the love they once shared and a secret that will bond them together forever.

Word from the Writer Two: Thanks to all who read my first Rossi/Strauss (CM) fan fic. And to the person who marked it as a favorite, You rock and really made my day. If you see a prompt at my forum, please feel free to borrow it, that is why they are there. If you don't mind, it would be great if you mention the forum and/or place a link to it so others can discover it and hopefully it will inspire more Rossi/Strauss fan fic and/or discussion. This story is complete as I intend to make it. I will not mark it as complete though as you never know, one day, the Characters may decided they want to share more of this tale with me. If you get an ideal from reading this of what happened after this, feel free to run with it. I only hope you would mention that this story inspired the ideal or it is a continuation of this story (I give permission in advance so no need to ask. Anything that gets me more fan fic to read, is always welcome). The style I write in, is the way the characters sound in my head. I know I use run on sentences sometimes, okay quite a lot, but that is the way I think and that is the way I hear them in my head. When I was in school, It has been years since my high school and college English classes, my teachers had pretty much broken me out of run on sentences and I was good at grammar and decent in punctuation. Well when you don't practice, you lose your skills. So I am stating now, this is not structurally or grammatically perfect. I speak fast and my thinking is convoluted sometimes and so when the characters tell me a story, they tell me in a way that my mind comprehends. I hope this doesn't detract from anyone's enjoyment of the story. Oh yeah and I am long winded as I am sure you can tell from this statement. I am actually proud of this piece. Yeah I know the first part sounds if it is being told by someone else, so if you need to be able to picture that in your mind, just consider it the Erin's friend they talk about later. That is who she said she was when I was wondering the same thing. She didn't give a name, said she wasn't important, as this wasn't her story. This story was originally entitled, The Best of Both of Us (Penelope's Road to the BAU). The characters decided at the last minute to make the title reflect the pain of their past.

And

The

Story

Begins

We all know Garcia is not picture of the typical agent that come to mind when one considers an FBI agent. Haven't you ever wondered why she was hired not only at the FBI, but also for the BAU. Strauss is the Section Chief, and so she would have had to interview her before hand. Now I do know that Garcia has mad skills with the computer and all things technical, and she did seem to be dressed pretty normal the first time we see her, if my memory isn't failing me, but, you know her unique personality had to come across in the interview (and probably in the background check) and Strauss is not normally one to put up with Foolishness when it come to the people under her command.

So what is the reason, she hired Garcia? Penelope is Strauss and Rossi's Biological Child. Rossi got Strauss Pregnant on the night of her 17th birthday and since she was still a minor when she gave birth, her parents made her give up the baby. She decided to search for her after Penelope turned 18, but unfortunately before the Private Detectives she hired could find her, Garcia's Adopted parents were killed and she went underground. Erin never gave up on finding her daughter as she felt like a part of her was missing over the years (as she wanted to keep the baby). Logically she knows that her life would have been a lot different if she had been able to keep Penelope (Erin is actually the one who gave her that name) and mentally she is proud of what she went on to do in her life, as a lot of girls that get pregnant as teens, never get to not only finish high school but also go on to college and graduate school. Yet Emotionally, she can't help buy wonder, if somehow, someway, things couldn't have worked out with her raising her baby. She and David had so many plans for when they turned 18. They'd loved each other so much back then. He'd even wanted to marry her when he found out she was pregnant.

Things would have been so different if their child would have been born 2 weeks later than she was, as then David would have been 18 and he would have had the legal rights of an adult to go to court and keep custody of his child. And that is where their animosity towards each other started. When Rossi told his parents about Strauss being pregnant and him wanting to do the honorable thing and marry her, they were unhappy that he had gotten a girl pregnant, especially after all the talks his father had with him about not getting girls pregnant, but they could see how much he truly loved this girl (and they were also a part of the school of thought, that you made your bed, now you have to lie in it) so they were willing to let him do it. The Rossi's went with David to talk with her parents but Erin's parents made it quite clear that they didn't think David was good enough for Erin and that they would never let her marry him. Erin didn't say a word during the whole conversation, she just sat there and silently cried.

David couldn't understand how she wouldn't fight for their love, just as hard as he was doing. What David didn't know is that she was protecting him. In the past he had had a few minor skirmishes with the law. Erin's father was a powerful man with some friends in high places and he had quite a few "good buddies" on the police force. He let it be known to Erin, if she even as much as even tried to speak to David again, he would make sure that David spent the first few years of his majority behind bars. Erin knew how hard David had worked in the last two years to turn his life around. When they first met it had been your clichéd Good girl/bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks story. But it was just something about David that drew her to him like a moth to a flame and the feeling was more than mutual on his part.

As much liked him, Erin knew she could not be happy with someone who acted like he did in her life and she told him so when he wanted to know why she wouldn't go out with him when it was obvious she was just as gone for him as he was for her. He tried to play it off as it was cool, as if it was no big deal, but in his heart, but he just couldn't stay away. David knew he had to get with her and he knew the only way he would be able to do that was to straighten up his act. So he stopped hanging with his old crowd, started studying hard and actually applying himself to get good grades. Baseball was always his thing and he actually got an athletic scholarship to a Catholic Private school when he was 15. He wasn't thrilled with the uniform at first but he made it work "Rossi Style".

Erin of course would just happen to attend David's new school and they had a class or two together. She witnessed with her own two eyes, the complete 180 David has done with his life. They were assigned to a project or two together and become friends. They become even closer when they both join the debate team. Erin because she wanted to, David because he needs the extra credit for Social Studies/Civics class (He has a brilliant mind and has no problem remembering facts but the subject material bored him and as to the Civics part, he hasn't developed his altruistic self yet and only believes that a person has an obligation to be civically responsible, if he is getting something out of it.)

After five months of going to school and being in class together, she gave in and let's him walk her home from school. She let's him know that he can only walk her to the end of the block before the one she lives on as her parents would kill her if they knew she was with him as they had felt she was too young to date. David respected this. He carried her books but was always the perfect gentleman. It took another month before she would let him hold her hand on the way home. Two months later, she let him kiss her goodbye on the cheek when they parted.

It was the last day of the school year and Erin did three things that surprised the socks off David. He had been asking her to let him take her to the local diner, they walked past each day on the way home from school, for a milkshake. It was sort of the local after school hangout for most of their school friends. Prior to that day, even though he'd been asking her everyday since she started letting him hold her hand on the way home, she always turned him down. On that day, when he asked, she accepted.

David was in Heaven having 'his girl' there with him and he kept secretly pinching himself as he couldn't believe that she actually said yes. When he asked her what she wanted, she did the second thing that surprised him, Erin looked him straight in the eyes and stated she wanted Strawberry and if he liked that flavor too, she wouldn't be opposed to them sharing it. David had the biggest grin as he stepped up to the counter, casually slipped him arm around her and asked the clerk for a large Strawberry Milkshake, with two straws. David liked Strawberry, but he knew even if he had been allergic to Strawberry, he wouldn't have said no to that offer, Erin was worth the misery of being broken out.

They actually didn't talk much about school while they drank their milkshake. They spent that time getting to know each other a little better. He could tell something was bothering her and he hoped she was having a good time. She had said she was earlier when he asked her, but all of a sudden she had gotten this sad look on her face. David hoped it wasn't something he said. He had been playfully teasing her for the last ten minutes and she seemed to be taking it in stride, giving him as good back and even besting him a few times. He tried to figure out what he had done to bring her mood down and the only thing he could think of was when he jokingly remarked that it seems their "first date" was a success. He didn't think he had upset her when he said that, as she had quipped back, David Rossi, if you are ever fortunate enough to take me out on a date, you are going to have to do a whole lot better than a milkshake. And then she had the audacity to wink at him, he mentally laughed (Yeah his girl was a spitfire, even back then). Of course she had to know he was just kidding after she told him all those months ago her parents thought she was too young to date and she agreed with them and he let her know he respected that.

He was silent for a few minutes, just looking down at the table, running his finger over a small groove in the table. Erin noticed how quiet he was and knew it was not like him to be quiet for that long when they were together. For the last few weeks, outside of school he had delighted in saying naughty things to her, just to see her blush. Of course he was never crude and he was always respectful, for the most part, and he could be reflective when the situation called for it but never was he this quiet when they were together. And the look on his face broke her heart.

She wondered if she had done or said something wrong. Maybe she had insulted him when she teased him about their date (and she would never tell him this, as he would probably never let her live it down, but she too, sort of thought of it as their first date, even though she knew he had just been kidding about that part).

"David" she said, "What's wrong? I am sorry if I said something to hurt your feelings. It was never my intentions. Please forgive me if I did. Your friendship has come to mean a lot to me".

He looked up in surprise at the words. No sweetheart, you didn't do anything. It was me. I was just joking about the 'date' part earlier. I know you are not ready to date and I would never push you into doing anything you didn't want to do. I am sorry if that is the way I made you feel. I have done a lot of things in my past and some of them I am not exactly proud of but you should know, and this I promise you, I would never, ever force you to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. I care about and respect you too much for that.

She reached across the table and took his had and said, "David, look at me". David looked into her blue eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong and I am not afraid of you. I have seen loose your temper and while it is formidable, I also have noticed that the only time you really unleash it in all it's fury is when your sense of justice comes into play as someone is bullying someone who they know can't defend themselves against them. You are a good guy David Rossi, even if you don't believe that about yourself, just yet, I do. But why if I may ask, did you think you had done something to hurt me?" David sighed and simply said, "because all of a sudden, you stopped smiling and I could see you were sad." It was Erin's turn to sigh.

She had been putting off telling him, but she had to go home soon and she could no longer put it off. She was probably being silly anyway, she told her self in the back of her mind. He probably will have forgotten about you in a few days or a few weeks a tiny voice said in her head. Just because you have developed a silly crush on David Rossi, doesn't mean you are anything more to him than a moment's flirtation, despite all his words of caring about you. Heck he will probably have a new girl to pal around with before you can blink as goodness knows with his good looks and charm, girls are always throwing themselves at him anyway. Just go ahead and tell him Erin. Get it over with, so you can go home and cry yourself to sleep as you will probably never see him again. Erin opened her mouth to speak, and she had to gulp before the words would come out. Her eyes were shining with tears but she refused to let a one fall, for a guy who would probably not even care how much she was going to miss him. Finally Erin told him, she was leaving the next day for the summer. Her family always left for Martha's Vineyard, the day after school ended and they didn't come back until the week before school started again.

David couldn't speak for a few minutes. He was devastated. How could his girl be going away for the whole summer. He might have been able to survive a week, two at the most with out her, and the jury was still out on that, but the whole summer? When he finally managed to speak, he voice was an octave or so higher that normal and he had to clear his throat to correct that before he simply shook his head and asked her, "Why didn't you tell me?". She locked eyes with him, still holding his hand and whispered, "I didn't know how". They just sat there in silence. Neither wanting to move from that spot, as they wanted the moment to go on forever so they wouldn't have to part, tomorrow would never come and she wouldn't be leaving him.

Finally Erin broke the moment as she knew she had to get home. David placed a tip on the table for the busboy. They left the diner and slowly started walking the rest of the way home. When they got to the corner where they they had to part, neither seemed to be in a hurry to let go of the other's hand. David finally knew he was going to have to be the one to let go first as Erin showed no signs of being able or willing to. That showed him that she really did like him, even though she had never come out and said it. The only thing that gave him the strength to let her hand go was that he didn't want her to get in trouble for being late for dinner. She had told him when they were talking earlier, that her parents had only given her permission to stop at the diner after school with her friends because it was the last day of school and she promised she would be home before dinner.

It was getting late and Erin knew she had to say goodbye quickly. She was glad David had let go first because she just couldn't seem to make herself let go. Especially after the way he had looked when she told him she was leaving tomorrow. He actions had spoke louder than any words he could ever use and she now knew, he would miss her over the summer, just as much as she missed him. She smiled at him, it was a sad smile, but it was the best she could do with her teenage heart breaking. When he went to kiss her on the cheek, she turned her head and met his lips in a sweet first kiss. That was the third thing she did that surprised David that day.

Somehow they both made it through the summer. It wasn't easy and neither one of them took as much pleasure in their normal summer activities as they had in past years as they were suffering the first heartbreak of young love.

Finally the time came for school to begin and Erin's family came back home from Vacation. She desperately wanted to be able to see David, to see if he had forgotten about her, but the week before school was so busy with last minute preparations that it was impossible. David probably would have walked the half a mile distance between their two houses and just hung around in the next block to just catch a glimpse of her if he had been in town but his father's business had finally been in the black for the first time at the end of the fiscal year, since he started it three years ago and Rossi Sr. had surprised the family by taking them to Niagara Falls for a week. They weren't due back in town until the evening before school started.

Over the next school year they became closer and she begin to spend more time with him outside of school, studying at the library and 'hanging out' with their friends. They started secretly dating and by the time school ended again, parting for the summer was just a little easier as they had set up a way to keep in contact by sending letters back and forth through a friend (Erin would mail her letters to the friend and the friend would give them to David. David would give his letters to the friend to mail to Erin). Her parents were none the wiser that she had a boyfriend and they were corresponding.

Another thing that helped them bare being apart for the summer was the fact that they knew they would get to see each other for a week of it. David's father's business had really taken off that year and even after he reinvested most of the profits back into the business, they still had quite a tidy sum to live on and save. David had convinced his parents that they should live a little for once, as hard as his dad worked, and take a vacation somewhere extra special that year - Martha's Vineyard. When his dad had said yes, he couldn't wait to get back to his room and write Erin and tell her the good news. She wrote him back and told him to make sure he let her know when he was arriving. She promised him she would find a way to get away and spend some time with him the week he was there. Erin kept her promise and it was on one of these clandestine meetings that David and Erin made love for the first time.

Senior year started and David and Erin settled back into the routine of school activities. The Couple went to the School's Halloween party and had a great time. The next day, November 1st, All Saint's Day was Erin's birthday and David had a special surprise for her. He had arraigned with his cousin to use one of the private room's in his cousin's restaurant for a special birthday dinner. David would have to play busboy for the next 8 Saturday nights but it was well worth it to surprise his girlfriend. Erin told her parents that she was going out with her best friend (the same one who was the go between when she and David wrote each other over the summer). She and her best friend had already got their stories straight about what they were doing that night (the best friend was going out with some of their other friends to grab a burger and then to their school's Varsity football game. David and Erin would meet her at the game before it was over and then she and Erin would go back to the friend's house, where Erin's father would pick her up at 11pm).

David's cousin went all out for him and Erin was delighted and impressed at how special David had made that night, from the Single long stem Red Rose he gave her at the beginning of the night, to the four course candlelight meal, private dining room and slow dancing at his cousin's restaurant. After dinner, instead of taking her 'parking' at their favorite secret spot, David surprised her by taking her to a motel room (that he had used his fake ID to acquire). It was in that motel room that Penelope was conceived.

The End

CMGUYSGIRL


End file.
